Darksphere
The Darksphere (闇のオーブ Yami no ōbu, lit. Dark Orb) is a special item that debuts in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem. One of five spheres possessed by the Divine Dragon clan, the Darksphere is integral to assembling the complete Binding Shield, and is positioned in the top-left alcove of the shield. The Darksphere possesses the power of possessing an attacker's mind to protect its holder from all harm, and can only be countered by the Lightsphere, its binary opposite. This sphere is known to corrupt even the noblest of men in both mind and body, a sinister power that is noticeably amplified should its owner be assuaged by negative emotions. This makes it an item that is beyond dangerous for human usage. In Awakening, the Darksphere assumes a new name, Sable (黒炎 Kokuen, lit. Black Flame). It is the last Gemstone Chrom needs to complete the Fire Emblem, and is currently held by Plegia. In all its incarnations, the Darksphere has been consistently coloured either black or purple. In the artwork portrayal of the Shield in Awakening, its place on the Binding Shield is accompanied by the inscription "black frame orb dark night," poorly transliterated text that is certainly intended to be "Black Flame Orb, Dark Night". Background Prior to the events of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and its remakes, Gharnef, motivated by his jealousy of his fellow disciple Miloah for being favoured by Archsage Gotoh, stole the Darksphere. Harnessing the fell energies suppressed within the sphere, Gharnef forges the Imhullu tome from it, and thereafter sealed his soul within its core to evade the clutches of death. As a result of this, even after he is killed by Marth in Chapter 23, his followers are still able to revive him by summoning his soul from the Darksphere. A true resurrection is never achieved, however, as the ritual is interrupted by the intervention of Merric. Now nothing but a spectral entity, Gharnef, learning of Hardin's unhappiness at the loveless state of his marriage with Nyna, proceeded to present the Darksphere to him. The Darksphere, fuelled by Hardin's emotions of acrimony, sorrow and envy, quickly corrupted his mind, sallying forth the events that later motivate the plot of Mystery of the Emblem and its remake. Hardin, under the influence of the Darksphere, proceeds to invoke the War of Heroes, where he aggressively besieges nations whom he had forged diplomatic alliances with following the conclusion of the War of Shadows. His tyrannical reign is brought to an end in Chapter 20, when Marth's army succeeds in defeating him with the Lightsphere in their possession. Upon being freed from the clutches of the Darksphere, Hardin reveals that the life that he had led under the Darksphere's machinations was akin to a nightmare, where he was unable to quell the roused demon residing within him. Expressing immense remorse for the heinous actions that he is responsible for, he begs Marth to ask for Nyna's forgiveness on his behalf before drawing his last breath. The Darksphere is then, alongside its other sphere counterparts, slotted into its allotted alcove on the Binding Shield. With the assembled Binding Shield on hand, Marth will charge towards the dominion of Medeus to rescue the four kidnapped princesses and put an end to the War of Heroes. In Awakening, the Darksphere is observed to have taken on a new name, Sable. In ancient times, Sable was plundered by the Grimleal in Plegia to protect their master Grima from the Emblem being re-assembled. Chrom assumes control of Sable following Validar's defeat in Chapter 23. Item Information ''Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem | Darksphere | - | - |Negates enemy attacks. |} Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem | Darksphere | - | - |Negates enemy attacks. |} Trivia * In the card game, the Darksphere is topped by a ornament strongly resembling the head of a Dark Dragon. The reason for this is unknown though it possesses similar powers to them. Gallery File:Darksphere TCG.jpg|The Darksphere, as it appears in the sixth series of the TCG. File:FE12 Spheres.png|The Darksphere (top), alongside the Geosphere, Lightsphere, Lifesphere, and Starsphere, in ''New Mystery of the Emblem.